The Black Widow
by Nyxitic Eclipse
Summary: "It is ironic, isn't it?" he breathed in her ear. He traced her neck line with his index finger, causing her to shiver. "The female black widow spider eats her mate after mating...But this time, it's the other way around." SephTi. AU.
1. Unexpected Phone Calls

**Author's Note:** It was meant to be a one-shot but I've changed it to multi-chapter fic. It's an extreme AU, so be warned. I gave Sephiroth more colorful personality. He might seem a little OCC but I will maintain some of the "original" Sephiroth's characteristics. SephirothxTifa with slight hints of CloudxTifa Rated T for language. This story will not in a happy ending, so if you want a happy ending, I guess you have to find something else to read.

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII. And I don't own the name "Rag-Tag." I got that idea from reading Sibilant Macabre's story, "Beginnings, After the End".**

* * *

Some background info for my fic.

**1. **WRO and Shinra work together in my story. WRO's part of Shinra.

**2. **Cloud is a SOLDIER 1st Class.

**3.** Zack, Genesis, Angeal, Lazard, etc. aren't dead.

**4. **Angeal and Tifa are related—cousins.

* * *

**The Black Widow**

By Eclipse Storywriter

Many thanks to my co-writer, Sephiroth Owa13.

**Chapter 1: ****Unexpected Phone Calls**

_"A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes"_

_-Mark Twain-_

Sephiroth poured himself a cup of coffee, inhaling the sweet aroma; steam lightly tickled his nose and warmed his face when he inhaled. He took a sip and smiled and then resumed his morning duties. His morning duties consisted the following: making coffee, making breakfast—always with three strips of bacon when he cooked for himself and a slice of buttered toast—and eating outside, in the parlor where he could enjoy the beautiful sunrise.

Sephiroth Crescent, the famous legendary SOLDIER of the Shin-Ra Electric Company, had a physiognomy that spoke volumes of him: it presented pronounced characteristics of intelligence, firmness and intimidation.

His aspect suggested an extreme beauty. His hair was fair and extremely fine, silvery locks reaching down to his waist. His eyes were slightly slanted, like those of an elf; when he narrowed his eyes, they narrowed like those of a cat, radiating intimidation. The hues of his eyes were of a curious color. The color wasn't exactly green; it was fluorescent green, devoid of warmth, only coldness. He was far above the average height, broad-shouldered, and well built but not overly muscular.

Having just enough patience to carry him through each dragging day, without killing any idiotic person who annoyed him to no end, he was tranquilly sure of himself, if not slightly conceited. However, he had every right to be conceited in the minds of the people who looked up to him. Sephiroth had the fame, money, and the title; he also had the smarts, the strength, and the skills that earned him such a high ranking within the Shinra Company. But most of all—his beautiful wife. Indeed, he had every right to be conceited and to be a happy man content with his life. Sephiroth was a happy man, but not because of his fame or riches. No, it had nothing to do with such materialistic things. It had everything to do with his wife. He believed she was his greatest treasure and triumph. The mere thought of his wife brought a warm smile to his face whenever he thought of her, a smile that charmed those around him. His wife was the only person who was capable of making him grin like a fool.

He took a bite of a toast, washing it down with another sip of coffee. He stared at the mug meaningfully—with thoughts of his wife on his mind—and set it down with a sigh. He reached up and fisted his silver mane into a high ponytail and tied it up. He grabbed a morning newspaper from the table and stared at it without really reading it. He vaguely recalled his wife's comment about how "cute" he appeared with his hair tied.

"Tifa…" he whispered, missing her.

Sephiroth has not seen his wife, Tifa, for several weeks. Ever since she joined WRO to "bring justice" to the world, she was constantly called away to catch criminals. His heart was left in solitude and longing for his beautiful wife. She occasionally called with "Hey honey. How are you?" But it was not enough. It never was enough. He had to see her now in flesh, run his fingers through her chocolate locks that felt like silk, caress her over soft, smooth skin, and feel her soft, warm lips against his. One could not really blame Sephiroth either, for his wife was a natural beauty compared to those "artificial" looking women who applied copious amounts of sooty mascara and a shockingly bright red lipstick.

He jerked in surprise when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller's ID but it was unavailable. Frowning slightly, he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, honey!"

Warmth crept back into him when he recognized the voice. He replied, "Hello, Tifa."

"Sephiroth!" her voice lilted with glee. "It's wonderful to hear your voice again. It's always wonderful to hear your voice. How are you?"

Sephiroth smiled. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine physically. Mentally? Not as much," Tifa replied.

_Uh-oh. That didn't sound good._ Sephiroth asked, "How so?"

"There's a cold-blooded bastard on the loose, that's what! That son of a bitch killed fifteen people this month. Fifteen! When I get my hands on him, I'm going to beat him to a pulp, making him wish that he was dead," Tifa scoffed.

_Now_ Sephiroth was surprised. Tifa was not much of a vulgarian. Whoever this killer was, he was doing an excellent job of irking her. "Are you sure this is the same person?'

"It's the same person. He killed thirty last month. All of the victims had the same—ah, never mind. This is not the reason I've called," Tifa answered.

"What is it?"

"I haven't seen you for a long time and I miss you dearly. I'm your lovely wife, after all. I need to see my dear husband." Sephiroth could see the smile behind her voice. "I'm taking my day off today. I'm coming home."

Sephiroth's heart skipped. _She's coming home!_ He thought and realized just how much he really missed her from the boyish thought. Calmly he asked, "So suddenly? Wouldn't Reeve—"

"Reeve can handle it without me," Tifa interrupted. "He's overworked me far too long without a pay-rise."

He laughed. "When will you be home?"

"Soon."

"How soon?"

"It's a surprise, silly!" she lightly teased, and Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Speaking of a surprise, you'll be surprised soon. Anyway, bye!" The phone clicked off, dead.

With a sigh, Sephiroth shut his cell phone off and dragged his feet to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and stood with his arms crossed, deeply thinking. "Let's see…Eggs, milk, whipped cream, strawberries…" He had everything he needed to bake a cake for Tifa. She had a large sweet tooth and she enjoyed eating a slice of cake after a meal. He hummed a soft tune as he poured the batter into a cake pan and settled it in the oven. He set the timer to thirty minutes and sat on the chair contently. He fondly stared at the picture of him and Tifa eating the same cotton candy, their mouths messy and sticky. Good times…Good times…Where did those good times go? Ever since that no-good childhood friend of hers convinced her to join WRO…

Sephiroth frowned at the thought of the blond man. Cloud Strife, also a SOLDIER first class, was one man who could easily provoke Sephiroth by his mere presence. Sephiroth could not understand why Tifa was still fond of Strife, especially after what he had pulled her through.

"Ugh!" A pain shot through his head. His breath was cut short; his eyes darkened; stars danced in his darkening eyes.

"_To me…"_

Sephiroth clutched his head and fought to bring himself back to control. _Breathe in and out. In and out_ _s__lowly_. After a minute, the pain ebbed into a dull throb. When he brought his breathing back to normal, he pushed back his chair to pour himself a glass of water, his heart still thumping treacherously against his chest.

"It's happening again. Damn…not now!" Sephiroth thought out loud, his voice ragged.

-Ring, ring. Ring, ring.-

His cell phone blared in the silent kitchen. He could not help it but to scowl at the call for its inauspicious timing. He checked the caller; it was Tifa. His scowl was instantly gone. Making sure his voice sounded even and smooth after the sudden pain, he warmly answered, "Hello, Tifa."

"Yo, Sephiroth!" A masculine voice answered him. Definitely _not_ Tifa.

"Who is this?"

The voice sniggered. Sephiroth could hear rustling behind the line. Then the voice said, "Really, Seph? I'm hurt." The aggravating voice could only belong to one man: Zack Fair.

"Zack ..."

"Finally recognized my voice, eh, Seph?" Zack cheerfully chirped. "I used this cool voice modifier to distort my voice a little. But, man … I am really hurt, y'know. How can you not recognize your best buddy's voice?"

Sephiroth remained silent and glared at the phone.

"Damn, Seph … Y'know, I can hear you glaring at the phone … Anyway—Hey, hey, hey! Wait!" Sephiroth heard a loud whack behind the line followed by a muffled "mmph".

"Sephiroth?" It was Tifa.

"Tifa."

"Sorry about that. I meant to call you but I had to see President Shinra first and I accidentally left my phone on the desk. That Zack over there decided to be funny and give you a call," Tifa explained. "Hey, hey! Don't touch that. By Shiva's icy soul! I told you not to touch that, didn't I?"

Sephiroth arched an eyebrow, amused by her swearing at Zack. From the way they acted together, one could almost mistake them for siblings.

"Sephiroth, I'm sorry. Zack's being dumb."

"As always."

Sephiroth heard Zack's voice in the background. "Hey! I heard that!"

Tifa laughed and Sephiroth was sure it was accompanied by an eye roll directed toward Zack. "Anyway, can you come to _Heaven_? I want to meet you there."

_Okay…What now? Didn't she say she was coming home?_ He thought. "Why the sudden change of plans? Isn't _Heaven_ a ballroom/restaurant? One of Shinra's properties?" he asked, truly curious.

Tifa answered with a slight disappointment within her voice, "Yes, it is. I wanted to go to a fancy place to celebrate my birthday. You do remember today's my birthday, _right_?" Her voice stressed on the word "right."

_Oh Ifrit._ Sephiroth slapped himself mentally for forgetting a very important day. He was so caught up with SOLDIER, his thoughts, and many other things that it had slipped his mind. "Of course! I only thought that you wanted to celebrate it at home." _Alone with me_, he mentally added.

"I would love to but my friends invited me to a dinner with you! It'll be a lot of fun. The music and dancing…I haven't danced with you for a long time," Tifa said.

He sighed. _So much for spending a night together by ourselves. Why is she so gregarious?_ "What time?"

"Five o'clock. Don't be late!"

"Do you want me to pick you up? Don't you need to change for tonight?"

"Oh," Tifa said, "I forgot to say. Aerith's bought me this beautiful dress. And don't worry, it's not pink. Anywho, I'll see you tonight at _Heaven_. I love you!"

"And I you."

With that, the line went dead.

"Damn!" Sephiroth swore. He swore again when he remembered he left the cake in the oven. He rushed into the kitchen to save the cake from burning. Thankfully, it was not burnt. He placed the cake on the counter with a great care. He placed his forefinger and thumb on his chin to ponder how he was going to decorate the cake.

"If my memory does not fail me…"

Tifa abhorred a cake only toppled with saccharine frosting; it was cloyingly sweet. Despite her infamous sweet tooth, she preferred less sweet Wutaian cake. Wutaian cake was similar than those baked in Midgar's style; the methods were almost similar but Wutaian cake required less sugar. It usually consisted of simple whipped cream, artistically draped around the cake, and fruits of multitude colors: strawberries, blue berries, tangerines, pineapples and cherries. Sometimes the whipped cream was flavored with either green tea or coffee for a healthier cake.

How ironic, though. "Just how in the abyss are you supposed to eat a healthier cake?" Sephiroth thought aloud. "It's a _cake, _for Odin's sake. It's meant to be unhealthy." That was what he'd told Tifa when she begged him to have a green tea cake. Only difference was that he told her with a fixed smile instead of giving her a skeptical look and a sarcastic comment.

He heaved a sigh as he applied a copious amount of whipped cream onto the cake. He did not doubt that she would be pleased to find this sweet (or less than what is considered "sweet") surprise waiting for her. More than pleased. She always enjoyed his homemade treats and Junon dishes. "So sumptuously delicious that your cooking could shut down the finest restaurants in Midgar," she once claimed. If it wasn't for the fact that Tifa was a fine cook in her own right, Sephiroth would have thought she was placating his ego. With a keen dexterity, he arranged the fruits on the cake. Satisfied of his work, he took a step back to examine his master piece. _Perfect_, he thought as he placed the cake in the refrigerator.

With his task finished, he headed off to the shower, ruffling his silver hair in bemusement. Warm water did nothing to pacify his tumultuous array of thoughts. He was more than pleased to see her…Truthfully, he had not expected her call from her work. And what was this birthday party her friends were throwing for her? "Strife," Sephiroth hissed. He clutched his temple when another wave of pain struck his head. The headaches became more frequent of late; neither a Remedy nor Elixir helped with reducing the pain. Not even the last resort casting of Esuna helped. He did not inform Tifa of his illness, lest she worry herself sick. He did not want that, no.

_I need to see a doctor,_ Sephiroth thought.

That fool of a scientist, Hojo, offered to examine him when he heard Sephiroth complaining about a headache to Lazard, but Sephiroth belatedly reclined Hojo's offer. Sephiroth viewed Hojo as a mere scintilla of dirt, completely twisted and demonized, performing horrendous experiments—whether the subject be an animal or human. Without acknowledging Hojo, Sephiroth began to leave the room when Hojo grabbed him by the arm. A sickening wave washed over him when the scientist touched him. Hiding the repulsion that Hojo stirred within him, Sephiroth merely looked at the fool through his bangs and warned him in a low and threatening voice not to come within fifty feet of him. No matter how hard he tried to maintain civility with the scientist, he found the task nigh impossible and always struggled with maintaining his composure around the man.

Sephiroth turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He reached for a fleecy towel and with it, he wiped himself dry. Now for the hard part: his hair. He found his long hair cumbersome to wash and dry, yet he kept it long for a reason. For her. For remembrance of his mother. He never met her in person, for she joined the Lifestream the day he was born. But people always spoke of his mother in reverence; she was of a great beauty, her soft brown hair spilling down to her waist like silk under a bright moon and her soft brown eyes. According to others, he inherited his high bangs from her.

With the task of drying his hair accomplished, he headed to his closet. He picked out a button down gray shirt and black pants to wear. He doffed his T-shirt and jeans and donned the gray shirt and black pants. He checked himself on the mirror, slightly smiling when he found himself presentable.

He fetched his keys and wallet and double checked to see if he left any lights on. Then he started the engine of his car and drove to the mall. He checked the time. It was 2:15 PM. Less than three hours left. Realizing that he still had not eaten lunch, he pondered on different foods, not sure of what he wanted to eat. He wanted something light but he did not want a salad. Settling on a Cinnabon cinnamon roll as his choice, he wondered if he wanted to have it in a proper café or at the mall. _Humph. I probably would save time if I ate in the mall. Heaven's about half an hour drive from the mall and if I spend about two hours at the mall…_he shrugged. _Although…I've to admit, going to the mall by myself is rather awkward. I'm bound to receive stares from everyone. It's not like any other person has a long silver hair or fluorescent, mako-infused green eyes._ He rolled his eyes – a habit that rubbed off on him from Zack - as he parked the car.

He got out of the car, locked it, and started for the food court. As he'd expected, people shot him curious stares and gave squeals of recognition. The legendary SOLDIER was here in the mall with ordinary people, dressed in ordinary clothes! It was a sight to behold. Sephiroth nodded when people greeted him and hid frowns from the fan girls—with horrible, red blush—who lionized him and asked him for an autograph. He politely declined with a fake smile. No matter how much he wanted to give them the cold shoulder, his manners did not allow him. Also, Shinra threatened him—to his amusement—to keep up with his image as the Hero of The Wutai War and a polite people's man or be fired. The idea of getting fired did not daunt him; however, he only stayed with the SOLDIER in hopes of catching a glimpse of Tifa at work.

Sephiroth arrived at the food court without much hassle. He stood in Cinnabon line with an impassive face and asked for a cinnamon roll and one grande coffee. He blinked in surprise when the blushing cashier offered to give him the food for free, which he politely refused the offer with a smile and paid for his lunch. He settled down to eat in a reclusive area—while ignoring directed stares—and he picked up the fork to eat when he heard a too familiar voice call out, "Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth raised his head to find Angeal and Genesis standing by his table. "Angeal. Genesis. What are you two doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Genesis said, looking highly amused. "You're not exactly the type to shop in a crowded mall."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at Genesis but invited him and Angeal to sit. "I suppose I can't ask you the same question. You love the attention from every eligible female you lay your eyes on," Sephiroth said as a group of teenage girls passed by their table, their faces reddening and giggles being stifled when he looked at the girl Genesis was eyeing. He was sure that the girls went out of their way to take a peek at the three famous SOLDIERs in a causal setting.

Genesis scoffed, while Angeal laughed heartily at his sarcastic remark and the girls passing them. Angeal said, "We're actually here to buy a present for my little cousin. I suppose it's the same for you as well?"

"Did she invite you to _Heaven_?" Sephiroth asked curiously.

"Actually, Cloud did," Angeal answered. "He said it is going to be a surprise party for her. She thinks that it's a small gathering. From what I've heard, Cloud suggested organizing a surprise birthday party for Tifa to President Shinra and the President consented. Said that it was the least he could do."

Sephiroth's brow disappeared behind his silver locks. "Strife?"

Genesis sniggered. "Yeah, him. That kid's jealous of you. Haven't you seen him glaring daggers at you?"

Sephiroth was acutely aware of Strife's hatred toward him. He always ignored the blond's glare, feigning that there was no animosity between them.

"He's probably jealous of you," Genesis continued with his right fist under his chin, "for stealing the heart of a fair maiden. He was Tifa's childhood sweetheart once, wasn't he?"

"Cloud's a good kid like Zack, but considering what he put Tifa through, he doesn't…well," Angeal sighed. "I'm sure he's repented his ways and regrets what he did, but it's too late. But you, Sephiroth, are good to her. I'm grateful for that."

"Hm."

"So, what are you going to buy for her?" Genesis asked with a small grin spreading across his face.

"I'm not sure," Sephiroth sighed. "She's never asked for anything, so I've always baked a cake for her."

Genesis let out a dramatic snort of disapproval. "A cake and that's all?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Sephiroth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A cake?" Genesis repeated, not believing what he had heard. "No romantic night out? Nothing 'special' planned after the party?"

"_Genesis ..._" Both Sephiroth and Angeal warned.

With a small laugh, Genesis raised his hands. "Sorry, but that's very typical of you, Sephy. She's your wife for Minerva's sake! You honestly don't know what she wants?"

Sephiroth frowned at both Genesis' question and the abhorred nickname. "Do you think I would've said that if I wasn't honest?" A grin slowly replaced his frown. "Besides, what makes you think _you_ know what women want, Lil' Gen-Gen?"

Genesis' brow slightly tensed.

"Because he's a big flirt," Angeal answered with a chuckle. "One day, he met this red—"

"Anyway," Genesis interrupted, "We're not here to talk about _that."_ Genesis shifted in his sit and looked at Angeal. "Since she's your cousin, maybe you can suggest what she would want."

Angeal stroked his chin before answering, "Even though I'm like a brother to her, I don't know all of her interests. I know she still practices martial arts…Speaking of which, Sephiroth, she did mention to you that she needed a new pair of gloves."

"A new pair of gloves? In middle of summer?" Genesis asked skeptically.

"For fighting. She wears leather gloves when she fights," Angeal explained.

"I knew that she worked with WRO to catch criminals but I didn't know she really…fights," Genesis said.

"You should spar with her one day. She's a formidable opponent," Angeal laughed.

"A sharpened sword against fists?" Genesis asked incredulously. "I doubt the match would last very long. A normal human against a SOLDIER? Please ..."

A smug expression washed across Sephiroth's face. "You'd be surprised, Genesis. She's quite agile and can easily avoid a blade. She dodges the Masamune's blade with a gracefulness that would put you to shame."

Genesis scoffed. "I doubt that. Besides, she's your wife. Of course you'd take it-"

"I don't. She _hates_ to be babied," Sephiroth stated, interrupting Genesis.

Angeal laughed. "That's right. You never saw her spar with Cloud and I, have you?" Angeal asked. "She packs a punch. I still have an apple sized bruise on my side from the last spar."

Sephiroth raised his coffee to drink but it stopped in midair. "Wait. She sparred with you and _Strife_?"

"I thought you knew," Angeal said thoughtfully.

The lines on Sephiroth's forehead delve in deeper as he frowned. "No."

"That's interesting," Angeal commented. "They come to spar at the SOLDIER training room at least once a week. Oddly, they only come when you're away on a mission."

"Hm."

"Are you going to be aloof about it? What if she's cheating on you?" Genesis asked, amused.

_Count to three before you answer, _Sephiroth thought. _Calm down._ Then he answered, "I doubt that she's cheating on me. Don't leap into conclusions. It's most likely that Strife brings her there because he knows that I do not like to see them together, friend or not."

"Hey, you never know," Genesis commented.

"Hmph, you read far too many romance novels, Genesis. What was that favorite book of yours? _Love_—"

"_Loveless_ and don't you dare forget it."

Sephiroth smirked, tapping his head twice with his index finger. "How can I not? When you beat it into my head?"

"All right, gentlemen," Angeal interjected when he felt the tension rise between the two. "Sephiroth, I believe you have a present to buy. It's already past three o'clock. If you want to know where you can find the gloves—"

"The Rag-Tag store. I've heard of it," Sephiroth finished.

Angeal clapped on Sephiroth's shoulder. "We will see you at five." He and Genesis nodded to Sephiroth and left.

**oooOOooo**

**Rag-Tag store**

A mixture of dust, leather, oil, and oddly, gunpowder scents hit Sephiroth's nose in full force, causing him to cringe his nose a little. This was one of the reasons why he hated the side effects of mako. Mako enhanced his five senses and it was useful, but it also had its drawbacks. He sniffed disdainfully and nodded at the dingy old man behind the counter, who waved his arm lazily in return, unfazed at the sight of the legendary SOLDIER.

"Put the items back where it belongs after you look through, y'hear?" the man drawled.

Sephiroth did not answer. He was too occupied on finding the section for martial artists. He had to admit, the store had an impressive array of goods. The goods varied, divided in sections for different style of fighting. On one wall were swords, stacked neatly by length and style. Other shelves included guns, ammunition's, boots, scabbards, and exotic items that he concluded were from Wutai.

"Ye find what y'like?" The store owner stood beside him with a cigarette clenched between his crooked yellow teeth. "A mighty fine SOLDIER like you would find something of interest, eh? How about that katana over there, directly imported from Wutai? Finest made, boy. Mighty fine."

Corner of Sephiroth's mouth twitched amusedly at the way this man casually approached him. He wondered if the man knew who he was. The man knew he was a SOLDIER…Interested in knowing how the man would reply, he kept his silence.

The man continued his musing, "I know you use that seven foot long sword. How in Ifrit's inferno can you wield it, I yonder? I guess that's from being a SOLDIER. Y'know, my nephew tried to get into SOLDIER. I think he—"

"Sir—"

"—got into Third Class. Maybe he's a Shinra grunt but—"

Sephiroth grew irritated by this man prattling; he gathered his composure and tried to interrupt the man politely. "Sir."

The man stared at him. "M'name's Pete, not 'sir.'"

"Mr. Pete, I'm looking for the section for martial artists." Sephiroth said.

"Just Pete, please," Pete said. He blew a cloud of smoke and said, "I thought ye were a swordsman."

"I'm buying it for someone else."

"Alright, alright. This way." Pete guided an impatient silver haired man down the aisle. "Martial arts ain't the most popular section. Not many practice it, y'see. Well, here we are."

Indeed, the section for martial arts was a lot smaller compared to the other sections. It, however, had every item that a martial artist would need. There were good selections of boots, gloves, elbow guards, etc. Sephiroth placed a thumb and index finger on his chin, examining various gloves. The colors mostly consisted of black, brown, red, and oddly, pink.

"They're all made with the finest leather," Pete said.

A red pair of gloves caught Sephiroth's eyes. It was bright red like blood; there were openings allowing the fingers to move more freely and three black beads were embedded on the knuckles, allowing the fighter to do more damage. He read the label that said "Premium Heart." He picked up the gloves and examined it, wondering if Tifa would like it.

"Premium Heart, eh? You have an eye for fine items. This here is made outta dragon hide. Real sturdy. Custom made. You see the black stones? They're hard as diamonds. Real nice, eh?" Pete's face beamed, looking pleased.

Sephiroth nodded curtly and picked up Premium Heart. He handed it to Pete and walked to the register, pulling out his wallet to pay. "How much?"

"Normally, I would make you pay 20,000 gil for those gloves. But today's yer lucky day. I know you've a mighty nice gal. Who was it—Tifa, yes. The busty gal. Nice curves too. Anywho, she occasionally drops by to buy or just to say hello. And that boy…who was it? He had a memorable hair style," said Pete thoughtfully as he wrapped the gloves in a paper wrapper.

"Did he have blond hair? Spikes?"

Pete snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that was it. He was holding her rather closely. I thought she was your gal. Ain't she?"

Sephiroth did not reply. _So…they were here together too?_

"Hey now, don't be makin' scary faces now. Take heart, boy. She didn't look too comfortable. Anyway, the pay," Pete grinned. "I'll take 15,000 gil from ye."

Sephiroth opened his wallet and handed the man his credit card. He then checked his watch. It was four o'clock. One hour left. He watched Pete place the wrapped gloves into a small square box and wrap it in a gaudy gift wrapper, finally finishing it with a bright yellow ribbon. "I know it's her birthday today. That cheeky girl came by last week with a giant grin plastered on her face. Said she's looking forward to spend her birthday with her husband. We are good friends, she and I. Well here ye go. Here are the gloves. And here—take this and give this to her, will ya?" Pete handed him another small box. "I know she'll refuse if I give this to her."

Sephiroth nodded his thanks. He accepted the boxes and bid the man goodbye. He checked his watch again. It was a quarter past four. He rolled his eyes. He appreciated Pete's generosity, but he was too garrulous. He brushed stray bangs out of his eyes, simultaneously sighing. He fished out his keys from his pocket and continued his way down to the parking lot. His brows and mouth twitched when he saw a horde of fan girls crowded around his car, admiring it lovingly and squealing in delight with "Oh my gosh! I touched Sephiroth's car!" He had no idea how they managed to track down where his car was parked. How in the world was he supposed to avoid these…_stalking_ girls without being tardy to the party? As a punctilious man, he abhorred being off the schedule. Just the thought alone piqued his irritation further. As he approached his car, the battalion of girls surrounded him, their eyes locked on their prey. However, they quailed and backed away when anger flashed in his eyes. He ignited the engine and started toward _Heaven_. He sighed in relief when he could not see the fan girls with the rear mirror. The day wasn't over yet, but Sephiroth was exhausted. He could not believe so many events happened in one day.

-Ring, ring. Ring, ring.-

The cell phone interrupted Sephiroth's train of thoughts. _Why is everyone so anxious to call me today? I should just discard the damn thing._

He picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Sephiroth. This is Lazard."

"Lazard? I'm on a vacation," Sephiroth said tersely before Lazard said anything.

"I know that you are. I apologize, but would you please drop by the office? Ah, scratch that. President Shinra wants to talk to you," Lazard said.

Sephiroth glared at the phone.

"Please, Sephiroth. I know you're glaring at your phone right now. Look, I'm just conveying his message to you," said Lazard exasperatedly.

"Tell Shinra that—"

Lazard interrupted, "Tell him yourself. If it is possible, get to his office as soon as possible. And please, don't run him through with your bloody sword," he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Is this necessary, Lazard?"

"Do I ever call you if it wasn't nece—" Sephiroth turned off the phone. He frowned and changed his course to the Shinra HQ. The idea of running someone though with his Masamune suddenly seemed very entertaining …

**oooOOooo**

**Shinra HQ**

4:30 PM.

"You better have a good reason for dragging me back to work," Sephiroth said dryly, not caring to hide his impatience.

Rufus smirked, interlocked his fingers, and brought them to his chin. "I indeed do have a good reason to 'drag' you back here," Rufus said. Sephiroth suddenly had an urge to wipe that arrogant smirk off of blond's face.

"Elucidate."

"There has been a massive mako leak in Nibelheim and the amount of monsters has increased due to the leak. The mako contaminated many natural springs in Mt. Nibel. If we do not take action soon, mako will seep into Nibel Lake, the major water source for the people of Nibelheim," Rufus explained.

"And why is it my concern? I'm on vacation," Sephiroth demanded.

The smirk disappeared, much to Sephiroth's surprise. "You're aware of Hojo's disappearance?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Our last…and very eventful day. It was the day I actually tolerated his presence." His mouth twitched to a small smirk as he vividly remembered the scientist's expression of shock when he cleanly sliced off Hojo's right hand.

"We presumed Hojo dead, for we could not locate his body. We assumed that he fell into the pool of mako. However…few denizens of Nibelheim reported a sighting of a long-haired man wearing glasses and a white lab coat walking toward the abandoned mako factory. Some claimed to have heard screams in the middle of the night from the mountains," Rufus explained. "We are not hundred percent sure if the man was Hojo or not, but…if it was him, we cannot allow him to roam freely unchecked. He's too dangerous. Who knows what kind of abominations he is creating ..." He paused and looked at the silver haired man squarely in the eye.

Sephiroth said nothing.

"Therefore, I want you to go there and investigate. See if Hojo's there. If he is, I want you to bring him back alive. If he makes trouble, subdue him. Subdue, not kill. I am certain that he will stir trouble. I do not doubt your abilities as an elite SOLDIER. But I am assigning another SOLDIER, a Turk and three MPs. Ah, also a guide to help you navigate through Mt. Nibel," Rufus said, sighing heavily.

"Who's the guide?" Sephiroth crossed his arms.

"Someone you would appreciate being there with you." Rufus's mouth twitched to a small smile. "WRO."

"Tifa?"

"Yes, Ms. Lockhart. Or should I say Mrs. Crescent? As a native of Nibelheim, she is a great candidate as a guide," Rufus said.

"Who is the other SOLDIER?"

"I thought of sending Strife with you, for he's also from Nibelheim. But…take Fair with you." Rufus glanced at the clock. "My, it's already past five. I apologize for keeping you here. You've a party to attend. I should be going as well. It is a big celebration and I too, was invited."

Sephiroth turned to leave. When he reached for the doorknob, Rufus called, "Sephiroth. I am aware of what Hojo did to you. Do not let your personal feelings cloud your judgment."

"I never do." He slammed the door behind him. He could feel his faint scar on his left hand tingle.

* * *

**Next up: Chapter 2 A Night at Heaven**

**Yeah...reviews are appreciated.**


	2. A Night at Heaven

**Author's Note:** Have I mentioned that I _love_ love triangles? You may call me weird, but I just love it. It adds so much spice to a story … I need to stop reading sappy manga, manhwa, and manhua. I forgot to mention in the last chapter that even though this story is drama/tragedy, it's not going to be angsty throughout the entire story. It'll start to become darker later. The story is marked as tragedy because of the ending. I want to make this story as funny as possible. Humor's good, right?

Uh … sorry for the lapses in grammar and syntax in the last chapter and this one. If you find anything that's grammatically incorrect or have suggestions, I would appreciate it if you share them with me.

* * *

**Some ****more**** background info for my fic.**

**1. **Shinra is used for the name of the person, like Rufus Shinra. Shin-Ra is used as the company's name. I know it's confusing but I just used it that way.

**2.** And in case you don't know, chicobo is a term for baby chocobos from FFVIII. I know it's from a different game

* * *

**Warning: Randomness ahead.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII and its characters.**

**

* * *

**

**The Black Widow**

By Eclipse Storywriter

Many thanks to my co-writer, Sephiroth Owa13.

**Chapter 2: ****A Night at Heaven**

"_Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance__"_

_-Unknown-_

After he left the Shin-Ra building, it was ten minutes later that he pulled into the parking lot at Heaven. The sky over the Midgar sky was slowly darkening with beautiful splotches of blue, red, and orange. Turning the keys and shutting off the engine, Sephiroth straightened his shirt, smoothing out the random wrinkles and pushed his hair away from his eyes. Before even he stepped out of the car, Sephiroth could hear the sounds of loud music. He let out a heavy sigh through his nose. There were two things he abhorred: loud blaring music and social events. Sephiroth opened the door and as soon as he stepped out of the car, his acute hearing picked up the conversations of invited guests and from the sound of it … it was a lot of guests.

Sephiroth raised a hand and rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on. _The things that I put up with for her, but it's all worth it_, he thought as he heard someone approaching him.

"There are a lot of people present, no?" said Rufus behind him, who had followed Sephiroth to Heaven. The young president had a satisfied look on his face. "All were more than pleased to celebrate her birthday … with the exception of a few, of course."

Sephiroth knew the "few" that he mentioned were Scarlet and her devoted cronies, all jealous of Tifa's influence, popularity, and her natural youthful looks.

"Shall we go in?" Rufus inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

The two men were about to head in but stopped when the oaken double doors of Heaven unexpectedly opened.

"Seph, finally!" Zack's cheerful booming voice greeted them, and then Zack ushered both Sephiroth and Rufus inside.

Once inside, a large hand clapped on Sephiroth's back. With a huge grin Zack said, "What are you doing arriving late? C'mon, man! Your lady's waiting for you. And boy, does she look hot! You should see what she's wearing!" Zack's voice dipped in a suggestive manner and the grin deepened.

If Sephiroth didn't know Zack well, he would've wiped the grin off his face for the comment, but he let it slide before replying, "Zack, I do not think Aerith would appreciate you telling every male how 'hot' Tifa is." But then he remembered it wasn't just him and Zack hearing about what his wife was wearing, so he added, "And my tolerance of your antics not withstanding … I hope, for your future in SOLDIER, that you're not telling every male how "hot" my wife is," Sephiroth finished sternly and took a quick glance at Rufus through his peripheral vision and saw that the young president had a smirk on his face.

Zack knew what he was referring to and knew that he just stuck his foot in his mouth, and quickly shrugged. "Nah, don't worry. Besides, she doesn't mind. She knows I'm like this and you know how I am ..." Again, he shrugged. "So … as long as Tifa doesn't hear me saying how hot she is, I'll be fine. 'Cause I know what she'll do: first thing, she'll kick me in the nuts and follow it up with a barrage of punches and then—"

"I'm sure I'd do more than that, Zack," interrupted a soft voice from behind Zack, which caused him to pale a few shades.

Sephiroth turned his attention from Zack to the voice, only to be squeezed by a crushing embrace that could pop out a chocobo's head. "Sephiroth!"

Tifa released her grasp and took a step back with a wide smile gracing her features. "You're late," she teasingly scorned.

Slowly, Sephiroth moved his eyes from smiling face of Tifa and allowed them to move up and down, drinking in her presence. Wait … what was he doing? He couldn't tear his eyes off of her. Sure, he missed her, but he was eyeing her as if he met her for the first time. But one couldn't really blame him, for this vision of Tifa before him was—although he couldn't find a better term to describe her—stunningly beautiful. She abandoned her precariously short miniskirt and tank top, replacing them with a wine colored dress that brought out the color of her eyes. Without noticing, a small smile tugged his lips as he thought, _Apparently Aerith chose the dress well. I'll have to thank her later._

The dress hugged every sensuous curve of her body. It was a spaghetti-string strap, which generously showed her slender yet strong arms. The low back showed off her athletic body. A large golden lace wrap hung from her arms, dropping just below the waist. The dress reached down to her ankles, revealing her slender legs through a slit in the long gown that stopped high on her right thigh; the bottom of the dress flowed whenever she moved. To match her dress, she wore a pair of stiletto wine-colored heels.

Her hair was not in its usual straight and loose style. Her long hair was pulled up in a twist, with the hair that wasn't in the twist cascading down below her shoulders in waves, with bobby pins holding stray hair in place. Sections of her bangs elegantly framed her face, while the rest was safely held in place by silver clips. Her trademark pearl tear-drop earrings adorned her ears.

However Sephiroth, for the moment, found himself speechless, for the woman he loved was a vision of classic beauty with a touch modern style. Finally, Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak but Rufus cut him off. "I apologize, Mrs. Crescent. I did not mean to keep him late. We were having a … friendly conversation."

_Bullshit._ Tifa knew of the tension between Rufus and Sephiroth. Sephiroth never liked Shin-Ra, or the family who ran the company, but she knew Shin-Ra was all her husband knew since the day he was born. She also knew that Sephiroth always tried to maintain a civility between himself and Rufus … but they were not close enough to have a casual "friendly" conversation. "Is that so …?" Tifa said incredulously but did not press him. "It's all right, sir. You and Sephiroth arrived just before I was about to cut the cake." She giggled and grabbed Sephiroth's hand, tugging him into the main building. Her smile never left her mouth as she guided him through the crowd of people. People hailed him as he walked by and he nodded in return.

When Tifa stood behind the table that was laden with cake and food, the people chorused, "Happy birthday," making her blush profusely. They cheered and clapped as they concluded the song, hollering at her to make a wish. Tifa laughed, thought carefully, and looked at Sephiroth with a small smile. Then she closed her eyes and blew hard to blow out the candles. She opened her eyes, surprised to see the candles still lit. She turned around to find a grinning Zack and a smiling Cloud with unlit candles in their hands.

"Trick candles!" Zack laughed.

Tifa huffed with a playful pout. "Hey! That's mean."

"It's a friendly joke!" Zack exclaimed. "Lighten up, Tifa!"

Tifa playfully slapped his back before she replied, "From the goodness of my heart, I forgive you. But what makes you think I'm not 'lightened up?'"

"I was just saying …," Zack said, flinching after the playful hard slap to his back and scratched his head.

Cloud gently tapped Tifa on her shoulder, pointing to the cake. "Tifa, the cake."

"Oh!" Tifa giggled. "Who wants cake?" With a steady hand, she cut the cake—her favorite kind—placing a slice on the plates of eager hands. As she handed out the cake, Sephiroth leaned close to her ear and asked, "What did you wish for?"

Tifa turned her head toward him and winked. "It's a secret," she replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She gasped in surprise when someone hugged her from behind, but because of the flowery perfume, she knew who it was. "Aerith!"

"Tifa!" Aerith exclaimed. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you!" Tifa turned and hugged her best friend back. "Thanks again for the dress. And the shoes! They're lovely."

"Once again, my dear Tifa, you're most welcome," Aerith giggled, her laughter like a chime. "I was walking in the mall when I saw the dress. It literally had you written all over it. And since I know you don't own many dresses, I just had to get it for you!" When Tifa opened her mouth to deny this, Aerith lightheartedly chided with a playful scowl on her face, "Uh, uh! Don't even try to deny it, Teef!" A kind smile replaced the playful scowl. "But I'm glad you like it. All the men are just swooning over you!"

"They are not!" Tifa retorted with a small smile. "But tough luck for them. I'm already taken." She eyed Sephiroth from the corner of her eyes, blushing slightly.

Sephiroth caught her eyes resting on his. He smiled thinly and returned his attention back to Zack, who was bragging, "…improved my magic. And I made a cool sword combo with my sword! I gotta say, this far surpasses Angeal's! You gotta see it, Seph!" Zack elbowed Cloud in the ribs for confirmation. "Wasn't it cool, Cloud? You saw me doing it!"

Cloud, whose attention was fixed on Tifa, did not hear him, nor did he feel the nudge on his ribs. He stood still, his fingers squirming along the edge of the present in his hands. He wanted to give Tifa the present personally, rather than her randomly opening them after everyone was finished eating, but he wasn't sure if he had the courage to give it to her, but Tifa had been avoiding him lately … Did he do something wrong? He hoped deep within his heart that he hadn't.

Zack crossed his arms, amused at the change of emotions flashing across Spiky's face. He sighed and shook his head. That kid never changes. With a sigh, he called, "Yo, Cloud!"

With a determined expression, Cloud started toward Tifa. When someone called his name, he involuntarily turned his head and tripped on a stray beer bottle on the floor. He found himself stumbling across the room … to crash into an un-expecting Tifa. They lay sprawled on the floor, with Cloud on top of Tifa. Their eyes locked for several seconds, unsure of what just had happened.

Yuffie, who came by to help herself to another slice of cake, saw them on the floor staring at each other; with a giant grin tugging on the tips of her mouth, she wolf-whistled, attracting looks from nearby people. Tifa, suddenly conscientious, let out an unladylike shout and used all her might to throw Cloud off of her. She stood up and let out an indignant huff. She did not appreciate such improper position, especially with her husband glaring daggers at Cloud. But she hastily apologized when she saw Cloud clutching his throbbing head.

"Ouch," Zack flinched when the saw Cloud hit his head hard on the floor. Still, he found it amusing that usually attentive Cloud tripped on a simple bottle. He had to cover his mouth to stifle his laugh.

Sephiroth, who was listening to Aerith's chatter about her new garden and the wonders inside it, turned his head, narrowing his eyes when he saw the scene before him. His eyes flashed dangerously at the blond. _Did he do that on purpose …? _He thought and found it hard to believe that Cloud would just happen to "slip" on a bottle of beer lying about on the floor.

"Cloud! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Tifa offered him a hand, which he graciously took.

"It's not a problem. Sorry for bumping into you," Cloud apologized. "I accidentally tripped and …" He scratched his head, looking away from Tifa.

Tifa waved his apology away. "It was an accident. No need to say sorry."

"Yeah."

"Okay, then." With an awkward chuckle, she turned around but Cloud stopped her.

"I— Tifa, wait." He grabbed her hand without thinking.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted—" Cloud's voice suddenly caught in his throat when Tifa's wine colored eyes shined with perplexity. Quickly he cleared it and continued, "… Happy birthday, Tifa," Cloud said with an embarrassed look, holding out the box which he had been carrying for most of the night. "I got you a present."

"You know, you didn't have to. Just throwing this surprise party is more than enough," she said with a genuine smile, taking the box from Cloud with a small hesitation.

"I wanted to," Cloud replied with a smile. With his head, he motioned toward the box in her hands before she started to roll it end over end. "Open it."

Giving her thanks once more, Tifa looked at the box again, noting the curious small holes in the cream colored box. _What are these for? Are they air holes?_ She wondered to herself. Carefully, she removed the red ribbon, which was loosely tied around the box, and removed the lid to find …

"Kweeeh!" A tiny, yellow chicobo chirped happily. It flapped its small wings vigorously, rising from the box to settle on Tifa's shoulder. Suddenly the air holes made sense to her.

"He's so cute!" Tifa happily exclaimed, moving the chick from her shoulder — so its talons wouldn't scratch her — to her hands, its soft feathers tickling the palm of her hand. "Does he have a name?"

"No. He's yours to name."

She thought for a moment. "Um…maybe—"

"Whoa! Is that a chocobo?" A loud and cheerful voice asked, and suddenly Yuffie's arm slung around Tifa's neck, causing her to stumble and the chocobo flapped its wings indignantly because of the jerky movement.

After looking at the chicobo, Yuffie locked her chestnut eyes on Cloud. "Cute! That was very cute of you to give her a chicobo, Chocobo Head." Yuffie gave him a sly grin, which was returned with a scowl.

"How many times do I have to remind you, Yuffie … that I have a proper name?" Cloud growled.

With a haughty expression on her face, Yuffie feigned ignorance. "Oh—you have a proper name?" She paused and brought a hand up to her chin and shifted her weight to her right leg, sticking out her hip out in mockery, and her grin became a taunting smirk. "What was it again? Nimbus? Cirrus? Fluffy? Oh yeah," Yuffie removed her fingers from her chin and snapped them. "Cloudy."

Cloud flinched at his unofficial nickname. He tried his best to ignore the annoying teen and her taunts. Last thing he wanted was to get into a verbal argument with Yuffie on Tifa's birthday. Turning his attention to Tifa, he asked, 'So, what are you going to name him, Tifa? He can't stay nameless for—"

Once again, he was interrupted, this time by the arrival of the Turks. "Is that a chocobo you have there? Careful, so that it doesn't shit in your hand," Reno said with a goofy smile, his arms behind his head. "You know, luv, chocobos taste the best when they are stir-fried. Wutaian style."

"Reno ..." Tifa frowned distastefully. She knew some people ate chocobos … but how could they? Chocobos were loyal and steadfast animals as dogs were. She seriously hoped that Reno was kidding.

Elena slapped the back of Reno's head hard, reprimanding, "Reno! You're such an ass for saying and suggesting that."

Reno scratched his head, unfazed by the slap. "Eh, I couldn't help it."

Elena placed her hands on her hips and shook her head exasperatedly. "You never can." Then she turned to Tifa and her expression brightened as she gave the birthday girl a big hug. "Happy birthday, Tifa."

"Thank you!" Tifa exclaimed, and the women broke from the hug.

"Not a problem. Here." Elena turned toward Rude, who gave Tifa a polite nod. She took a rather bulky package from him and handed it to Tifa. After seeing Tifa's curious look at the package, she explained, "I bought you some really cute miniskirts while I was shopping."

Cloud knew another hug was coming when Elena said "miniskirts". He quickly snatched the chicobo from Tifa before the bird was squished by the hug.

"Miniskirts?" she asked with a happy smile, and Elena nodded. _My favorite!_ She thought and voraciously tore open the package to find many miniskirts in various styles and colors; they were all from her favorite brand too! Tifa embraced the blonde again, this time a little tighter than a few moments ago. "Thank you!"

Elena patted her back. "You're welcome. After all the work you've done and all the help you've given us Turks, it's the least I can do."

"Kweeeeh!" The chocobo's incessant and impatient chattering brought everyone's attention back to him, who was squirming about in Cloud's hands.

Tifa gently took the chocobo back from Cloud and scratched the top of its head. "Hmm … What to name you …"

"How about Spiky? The feathers on its head stick out like Cloudy's spikes!" Yuffie giggled while dodging Cloud's angry reach.

"Omelet," Reno suggested after thinking for a bit, which earned him bemused looks. He raised his hands. "Hey, just suggesting. It's yellow like an omelet," he pointed out.

Elena eyed Reno and after a few moments, she finally said, "Reno, if food is all you have on your mind, then get something to eat! Stop being a prick!"

"H-hey!" Reno protested, as Elena forcefully pushed him toward the table which had a wide selection of foods: Fish-n-Chips, different kinds of pizza, salads, and even crab legs. She gave an apology as she left with Rude closely following them.

Cloud watched as the Turks left and he couldn't help the laughter that escaped from him. Then a genius thought hit him. "How about 'Sol'?" Cloud suggested. "I bought him from a merchant at Costa del Sol. And the color of his feathers is bright like the sun." He pondered a bit and added, "I believe the merchant said the mother of that chocobo was named Sunshine. So the name—" Cloud was interrupted, yet again, by another Turk.

"Sol. It's a fitting name," came the smooth voice of Cissnei from behind Tifa.

The chicobo in Tifa's hands kweh'ed with delight, happily flapping its tiny wings, hearing the name.

"Aww, look! He loves the name!" Aerith said, standing on the other side of Tifa. "Can I hold him? He's so adorable!"

"Of course you can," Tifa said with a nod and gently placed the chick in the soft, tender hands of Aerith.

Slowly, so she wouldn't scare the poor thing, Aerith raised the chicobo to eye level. "Hello, Sol," she said softly, testing out the name again, to which the chicobo cooed a soft kweh.

Carefully coming up to Aerith's side, Cissnei brought a hand up and gently scratched the chicobo under its chin. "It really seems to enjoy the name, Tifa. Perhaps you should name it Sol."

Tifa clapped once in affirmation. "Sol it is!" She then turned to Cloud and gave him a hug, robbing all of his air supplies from his lungs. "Thanks, Cloud!"

Cloud patted her back with an affectionate gaze. "It is my pleasure."

After giving her chicobo a new name, Tifa left it in the care of Aerith as more people came and greeted her. First was Cid, who was trying his best not to swear up a storm because Heaven was a non-smoking establishment, gave her a warm welcome and invited her for a nighttime ride on his newest airship, with her husband, of course; Barret gave her a big bear hug and the two caught up, having not seen each other for almost a year because his company – which he ran with his friend Dyne – kept him busy; and Vincent, whom Tifa was delighted to see, wished her a happy birthday before he left. Despite the stoic expression that was on his face, Tifa saw warmth within his crimson eyes as he spoke to her. Then came Nanaki, or Red XIII as some people called him, who also congratulated Tifa. With a sweet smile, she patted his head affectionately.

The person who greeted her last was her boss Reeve, the leader of the organization WRO. He inclined his head in greeting. "Mrs. Crescent, happy wishes."

Tifa crossed her arms, scowling playfully. With a mock annoyance, she replied, "How many times do I have to remind you to call me Tifa, President Tuesti?"

A hearty chuckle escaped from Reeve's mouth. "Touché. It never hurts to be polite, you know."

"No it doesn't," Tifa answered. "But not to the point of hypocrisy. We've known each other for a long time. We've long since past the last name basis. You even enforced the 'No Last Name' policy at work!" she lightheartedly teased.

"Right you are. You know, Tifa, I had to force you out of your office this morning, so we could prepare the party," Reeve chuckled. "Did you enjoy your day off?"

"I most certainly did," Tifa replied. "But Reeve, you gave me a day off just because you guys could prepare the party? So you were not planning to give me a day off just because? I'm hurt. Really, you overwork everyone!" Tifa teased once again. She knew Reeve would not take offense to her statement. Reeve knew she was joking.

"Without a pay-rise too, no?" Reeve wittily returned. "I happened to overhear your conversation with Sephiroth. You are dissatisfied with your salary? I don't pay you enough?"

Tifa stuck her arms out and shook. "No! I was just joking with Sephiroth. Just joking!"

Reeve heartily laughed at Tifa's vehement denial. "No worries, Tifa. I'm poking fun at you. But today is a special day after all … Perhaps you might get your pay-rise." He winked. "Enjoy yourself, okay? Take a few days off. But when you return to work, I expect you to work hard."

"Of course."

**oooOOooo**

Everyone clapped and hollered when a popular DJ took his place on the stage. He placed his headphones on and adjusted them, placing the right earphone behind his ear and the mic in-front of his lips. He spoke, "Thank you for the warm welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" He bowed and quickly rose. "But we all know who we're here for, don't we?" he asked, raising his arms in the air and small laughter mixed with various answers of yes and Tifa came from the guests.

"That's right, we're here to celebrate the birthday of a very special lady, Mrs. Tifa Crescent!" The DJ exclaimed and gestured toward her, which caused a slight heat to taint her cheeks for a moment. A round of applause came from the guests along with some whoops. "Alright, now let's get this party started right!" he exclaimed. With a swift motion, he flicked a switch in front of him and a loud, rhythmic drumming came from the speakers, followed by a loud bass as a popular female singer began to sing. The younger guests rushed to the dance floor and moved with the beat.

Tifa slightly laughed when she saw Yuffie dragging the poor soul who was closest to her to the dance floor; unfortunately for Reno, he was the poor soul who was closest to Yuffie when the song began. The Turk let out a stream of curses over his spilt shot of Tequila as Yuffie dragged him to the dance floor, happily grinning as the young ninja ignored his protests.

Tifa shook her head and hoped that Yuffie would take it easy on Reno. And since Reno was Reno and judging from his sour mood from the spilt drink, he was already working on getting drunk.

Strong but gentle arms suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind, locking her in an embrace. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Tifa," said Sephiroth with his rich baritone in her ear. His breath slightly trickled her ear.

She leaned into his embrace and nestled the side of her head against his cheek. "I am. It's great to see all my friends, especially Barret."

Sephiroth smiled. Despite that it was Strife who threw the party for her, he was genuinely happy to see his wife so elated with the night's events. He knew that Tifa loved her friends like they were her own family, even if some of them were annoyingly loud and were people who he wouldn't associate with himself. "I wanted to tell this you earlier, but Shinra cut me off," he murmured into her ear.

"And what's that?" she coyly answered.

"You look beautiful tonight." Sephiroth twisted his neck and found her lips.

Despite the few cat-calls let out by some guests, Tifa closed her eyes and returned the kiss. The world melted away as she found herself lost in her husband's loving arms and in the tender kiss. She'd missed this. Yes, by the Planet how she missed this: the loving embraces, the tender moments, and strength that she always felt from Sephiroth.

However, the kiss was short lived as Zack's whistling and Barret's hearty laughter brought Tifa out of her euphoria. She felt Sephiroth's embrace loosen and she turned to face him. "I've missed you, Seph."

"As have I." he brought a hand up and lovingly traced his fingers along her cheek and brought it back down to his side.

She smiled. "Thank you for coming tonight. I know you would rather celebrate in private." She knew Sephiroth hated big social events and avoided them at all costs, so she was grateful that he was there.

A dangerous grin flashed on his face. "It's fine. You'll pay for it tonight," his baritone was draped with a powerful sensual undertone.

A flush rushed across Tifa's cheeks and she quickly looked around to see if anyone heard. Thankful that no one did, she playfully hit her husband on the shoulder. "I guess you missed me!"

To which Sephiroth chuckled, "I did." But his face somewhat fell as he looked behind her. "I'll see you later ..."

Tifa's brows immediately dropped and before she could ask for him to explain, Sephiroth said one word, "Genesis ..." And motioned toward the red head waiting at the bar with an annoyed sigh.

Tifa laughed and held her sides. "I see. But don't you dare let him get you drunk, Seph!"

"I won't." He turned to walk toward the DJ's booth before returning to the bar and Genesis, but Tifa's gentle but strong grip grasped his arm. He already knew what she was going to say. "Don't worry, my sweet," he said and turned back toward her, "you'll get your dance tonight."

"I better." A teasing smile was on her face. "Or no pancakes in the morning!"

_Ouch … That's not right,_ Sephiroth thought, but he calmly answered, "You will. I promise."

Tifa let go of her husband's arm and watched as he disappeared into the sea of guests that were on the dance floor. Dark brows dropped, slightly confused. Why did he head for the dance floor?

Before she had time to ponder this, the music ended and the DJ's voice came over the speakers once again. "Now I have a special request for the birthday girl from an old friend of hers." Soft piano keys of a ballad came from the speakers, filling the ballroom with gentle notes as Tifa's mind was filled with the nostalgic thoughts of the nights she spent under Nibelheim's starry skies, making countless wishes upon the stars.

Slowly, the people who weren't already on the dance floor began to abandon their seats and drinks and made their way over to it with a partner. Tifa stared at the sea of blurry faces, as the gentle tremble of a female singer's voice sang the first lyrics of a familiar song. _I know this song_, she thought, humming along with the song. _"And I wish on a star, that somewhere you are thinking of me too."_ Tifa mouthed as the singer sang, remembering why the song was so familiar to her. _That's right … this is the song that was playing when … _

"May I have this dance?" Cloud's voice interrupted her thoughts. She blinked once and fixed her eyes on the offered hand, while Cloud patently waited for her answer.

"Cloud, I …," she began, but her voice trailed off as two thoughts conflicted in her mind: Should she dance with Cloud instead of Sephiroth first or rudely reject the offer and look for Sephiroth? Although her heart screamed at her to decline the offer because of their past and the way Cloud was acting lately, she couldn't because of their renewed friendship. _Well, he is my childhood friend and I don't want to be rude … I'll wait for the promised dance with Sephiroth, then,_ Tifa decided and nodded. "You may."

A smile lit Cloud's lips. Taking her hand in his, he guided Tifa through the crowd to the middle of the dance floor. He gently gripped her waist and pulled her close to him, causing her to blush.

"_Wonder if you ever see me, and I wonder if you even know am there …__"_

As the song continued, Cloud slowly led them to the lamenting ballad. "Thank you, Tifa," Cloud softly murmured.

She slightly tilted her head to the side. "For what?"

"For giving me the pleasure of the first dance."

No sooner than the words left his mouth, Tifa immediately felt guilty; she knew she should have saved the first dance for Sephiroth, or anyone else other than Cloud, especially with way … "Cloud … did you plan—"

"I'm happy that you've forgiven me, Tifa, and that we're friends again," he quickly said, dodging her question.

A soft smile graced her face. "It's the past … and I want the past to stay in the past."

Her words slightly stung, but after what happened, Cloud knew he deserved that. "I'm sorry ..."

"Cloud. You need to stop apologizing for it. I'm over it."

This was harder than he thought it would be. All Cloud wanted to do was to tell Tifa how he felt, tell her that she was always on his mind. That he never moved on or gave up. But she seemed so happy with her new life with _him _… But despite his best efforts, his affections kept escaping from him while they were together and the more time he spent with her … Cloud tried to push the rising thought out of his head. Planet help him, he wanted to tell her.

As they danced, slowly moving their feet to the music, Cloud found that it didn't help his cause either. It was bringing up fond memories of their days in Nibelheim and their first kiss to this song. Planet _please_ help him, he wanted to tell her. "Tifa … I—"

_Why is he doing this now?_ Tifa shook her head. "Cloud … please. Not here. Not now ..."

An apologetic look washed across Cloud's face and he fell silent.

The music continued to play and they danced in an uncomfortable silence as the lyrics that were once so profound for Tifa stung her heart.

"_And I still can't believe that you came up to me and said, "I love you.". I love you too. Now I'm dreaming with you tonight, till tomorrow and for all of my life. And there's no where in the world I'd rather be, than here in my room dreaming with you endlessly …"_

And a tear rolled down her cheek that she quickly wiped away by settling her cheek on Cloud's shoulder.

**oooOOooo**

Sephiroth, who was watching them from afar, after placing his request with the DJ to play a specific song later that night, sipped his drink, his anger slowly building inside him. _Strife has some nerve to dance with her ... What is Tifa thinking?_ Resentment bubbled within him.

"Such audacity!" Genesis jabbed Sephiroth with his elbow, a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth. "He's making a move on her."

If Sephiroth was irked by the statement, he did not show it. He replied in a cool tone, "Genesis, I believe you've had a drink too many."

Genesis shrugged in a nonchalant manner, dismissing it. "Nonsense! This is my first one." He took another sip of Banora Chardonnay wine — his favorite drink made from Banora Whites. "Besides, Sephy, it is a celebration. People can drink to their hearts' content. Here, have a glass of Kirsch." He shoved a glass into Sephiroth's free hand.

A smile came across Genesis' face and he stepped into the crowd, swinging his arm around a rather hesitant neck. "Angeal, old friend!" He grabbed Angeal from thin air and pulled him to the bar. "Have a glass!"

Angeal was trying to purposefully avoid the bar at any cost tonight. He cringed his nose at the pungent smell of alcohol. Despite the cheery, upbeat atmosphere of the party, he couldn't bring himself to join his drinking friends. He was infamous throughout the ranks of SOLDIERs for having absolutely no tolerance for alcohol. Even the smallest amount of alcohol intoxicated him and when he got intoxicated … boy, did he become wild. His intolerance for alcohol earned him the nickname of Tarzan and Man of the Wild. After few "accidents," Angeal swore never to drink again.

So tonight's party was a nightmare for him: people continued to offer him glasses of vodka, beer, whiskey, and various drinks that he never heard of. Those who weren't well acquainted with him flashed him a curious look when he slowly backed away from the offered drink, darting away into the crowd. As he retreated, he heard murmurs of, "I thought SOLDIERs could hold their liquor better than anyone?" Those who knew him well offered him a glass as a joke; Angeal made mental notes of the two 2nd Class SOLDIERs who did, so he could give them extra hours of training and a week worth of paperwork, including the cleaning of Sephiroth's desk—every SOLDIER's nightmare.

And so, Angeal distanced himself from alcohol that night but he soon found himself in Genesis' arms … right next to the bar. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he saw how much alcohol both his friends were downing – glasses that actually belonged to Genesis. "Genesis … What's the meaning of this?" he managed to sputter out.

"Why, old friend, you have been avoiding us the entire night!" Genesis' words were slightly slurred, an effect of alcohol. "Join us for a drink!"

Angeal turned to Sephiroth, silently pleading with his eyes for help but he only received a nonsensical shrug, for Sephiroth's attention was elsewhere. "Genesis, please. Be reasonable—you know I can't drink—" His words were cut short when the red haired man forced his favorite drink, which was actually four-shots worth of Bourbon, right into Angeal's open mouth, forcing him to chug down the bitter drink.

The song that Cloud and Tifa were dancing to had ended and she quickly left the blond on the dance floor as another horridly loud song began. Sephiroth lightly scoffed and turned his attention to the sudden ruckus that Angeal and Genesis were making. He, suddenly amused by Genesis' antics, watched the comical scene unfolding before him. Then he vividly remembered the day back in college when they had a drinking party. They somehow convinced the usually conservative Angeal to drink. The aftermath, however … was unsightly and they were banned from the bar.

"Oh my— Angeal?" He turned and saw Zack the Puppy only a few feet away from them; his mouth was gaping so wide that Sephiroth wouldn't have been surprised if several flies idly flew in, given the state of shock he was in. But he couldn't blame the pup for being shocked; after all, ever since their college days, Angeal hadn't touched a drop of liquor … well, not until tonight.

Once every last drop of alcohol entered Angeal's system, he staggered back, wiping his mouth off with his sleeve. Then he lurched forward, grabbing his mouth with his right hand and his stomach with his left. "I … I think I'm going to be sick," he groaned. "Genesis, when I get my hands on you …"

"Except you won't," Genesis interrupted with a grin. "Don't worry, old friend! You won't remember a thing in the morning." He slapped his friend's back once and hard, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

"You are drunk … Don't you think you went too far, Genesis?" Sephiroth remarked with a cocked eyebrow, and then bent down to carefully lean Angeal against the bar, making sure his old friend wouldn't slip off the stool.

"Pssh, you're becoming a mother hen like Angeal, Sephy," Genesis snorted. "Don't ruin the fun." He plopped onto a bar stool next to Angeal, motioning to Sephiroth to do the same. Once the silver haired man settled onto a seat, Genesis smirked. "Well, Sephy, since Angeal is out of the contest already, it seems as if it's just us now."

Sephiroth took another sip of Kirsch and set the glass down, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Out of the contest? What contest?" But as the words left him, he clutched his head in exasperation when he realized what the red haired man was referring to. "Please tell me that we're not going to have another drinking contest," he said skeptically.

"Scared that you'll lose?" Genesis taunted. A satisfied smirk crept on to his face when he saw Sephiroth twitch his mouth.

Ah … pride was a fickle creature. Sephiroth preferred dying than allowing Genesis to stomp all over his pride. And his pride would not permit him to back away from a challenge. His conscience, however, screamed at him not to be foolish. … _Don't you dare let him get you drunk, Seph!_ Tifa's voice echoed in his head. But it took a lot more liquor than what Genesis could handle for him to even get buzzed, so against his better judgment, he replied, "Scared? Hardly. If I may recall correctly, Genesis, you lost quite miserably last time."

An angry color spotted Genesis' cheeks. "Someone drugged my drinks!" he protested.

"Really?" Sephiroth arched a brow and smirked. "Then forgive me, Genesis. It seems like I was mistaken."

Genesis mumbled incoherently. Although he knew Sephiroth had a higher resistance to alcohol than he did, he would never admit it. "Are you in or what?" he asked, holding a bottle of Scotch — which he had gotten from the bartender earlier — and produced two shot glasses, placing one in front of Sephiroth with a dangerous grin on his face.

Sephiroth picked up the empty shot glass and held it up, silently daring Genesis to pour him a glass. "What are you waiting for?" he asked with a smirk.

* * *

**Post Author's Note**:

Many thanks to those who reviewed, alerted, and fav'ed "The Black Widow." Means a lot to me! I was so pleased with the positive responses toward my first attempt at SephTi fic. I had overall of 338 people reading the first chapter within a month. Wow!

And I know that I suddenly cut off at the end but the chapter was getting longer than I expected. If I tried finishing the chapter originally as I planned, I wouldn't have finished it until next month. The reason? School. Taking many AP classes and trying to do college applications are NOT fun.

* * *

**People who reviewed**:

SakR9, CrescentHeaven, Sephiroth Owa13, Angelus Erreare, Hyrule's Savior, Amaranthos (girl, I finally got this done! =D), Writer Chica, Ski October, and Veggie. You guys ROCK

* * *

**Co-writer's Note: **I have to quickly thank my boyfriend who pointed out that both Eclipse and I forgot about Nanaki (Red XIII) and Reeve. So thanks, baby, for that. I can't believe we both missed it!

* * *

**Coming up: Chapter 3 Welcome Back**

**Genesis and Sephiroth have a drinking contest! Who will be the winner?**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


End file.
